Emile Zola

Emile Zola was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, and the most prominent figure of the literary school of naturalism. He wrote more than 60 novels, essays, and articles, most notably the 20-volume series Les Rougon-Macquart, which depicts the social and political conditions of France under the Second Empire. He also became famous for his involvement in the Dreyfus Affair, a political scandal that divided France in the late 19th century. He wrote an open letter to the president of France, titled J'Accuse...!, in which he accused the government and the army of anti-Semitism and injustice in the trial and conviction of Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer falsely accused of treason. The letter was published on the front page of the newspaper L'Aurore on January 13, 1898, and caused a huge public outcry. Zola was prosecuted for libel and sentenced to one year in prison, but he fled to England to avoid imprisonment. He returned to France in 1899, after Dreyfus was granted a retrial and pardoned. Zola died in 1902, from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a blocked chimney. His death was suspected to be a murder by his enemies, but this hypothesis has never been proven. He was initially buried at the Cimetière de Montmartre in Paris, but in 1908 his remains were transferred to the Panthéon, where he rests among other illustrious French personalities. Zola is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of the 19th century and a pioneer of modern literature. His works have influenced many authors, such as Marcel Proust, James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, and George Orwell. He is also celebrated as a defender of human rights and a champion of truth and justice.